Play Kanun online
The plucked instrument of Turkish, Arabic and Persian music, with mandals and courses of three strings.
Dizi
On a keyboard, the keys A S D F G H J K play the eight pitches of the scale.
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Turn your phone sideways or switch to full screen to see the instrument larger.
Keyboard keys
Add it to your home screen as a separate app: opens with one tap and works offline too. Free.
Keyboard: the up and down arrows select a course, Space or Enter plays it, plus and minus move the selected course's mandal by one comma.
Tap or swipe on the right side; tap the labels on the left to select a course. No sound on iPhone? Turn off silent mode.
Mandals
Lower or raise each pitch one comma at a time with the mandal levers. The setting applies to every course that has no setting of its own.
Course mandal
Tune a single course separately from the pitch setting. Courses you don't adjust follow the pitch setting.
About the Kanun
In brief
- Family: Plucked string instrument; trapezoidal box zither held flat
- Origin: Middle East; name from the Greek kanon, played in the Ottoman world since the 15th century
- Body and materials: Trapezoidal wooden box, spruce top; skin-covered windows under the bridge
- Strings: Turkish kanun usually has 26 courses, each of 3 strings tuned in unison (78 strings)
- Mandals: At the left end of the courses; on most kanuns a semitone is divided into 6 mandals (one mandal ~17 cents)
- Range: About three and a half octaves
- Playing: Laid flat on the lap or a table; plucked with plectra fixed to the index fingers by rings
- 16th–17th centuries: Mentioned in Revani's İşaretname; among the instruments listed by Evliya Çelebi it appears as one favoured in the sultan's presence and played on the knees[1, 2, 3]
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
- Dimensions: On the Turkish kanun the long side is about 87 cm and the perpendicular side 42 cm; on the Egyptian kanun, whose strings are more widely spaced, the perpendicular side reaches up to 50 cm.
- Strings: 25–26 courses, 75–78 strings; the strings of each course are tuned to the same pitch, and tuning is done with a special key fitted onto the pegs.
- Mandals: Today there are 9–12 mandals per whole tone.
- Playing: It lies flat on the knees; it is played with plectra (mızrap) fitted into thimbles on both index fingers.[1]
History
Its origins go back to the medieval Near East; according to one tradition, its invention is attributed to al-Farabi. In the Ottoman world it took its present form in the late 19th century as mandals became widespread, and it became one of the core instruments of Turkish makam music. It is also widely played in Arabic and Armenian music.
Construction
A trapezoid-shaped wooden body usually carries 26 courses, each with three strings tuned to the same pitch. On the right side, the bridge rests on skin-covered panels. On the left side, the mandals under each course change the vibrating length of the string, raising or lowering the pitch in small steps; on most kanuns a semitone is divided into six mandals (one mandal is about 17 cents).
How it's played
It rests horizontally on the lap or on a table. The strings are plucked with picks held under rings worn on the index fingers of both hands. While playing, the left hand raises and lowers the mandals to prepare the in-between pitches the makam requires.
Useful while you practice
Project notes
- Pitch system: Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek pitches are shown on a scale dividing the octave into 53 equal parts (the Holder comma, ≈22.6 cents), a close approximation of the theory's Pythagorean-ratio pitches. Each pitch is computed as its letter position plus the mandal shift; reference A4 = 440 Hz.
- Interval abbreviations: B = bakiye (4), S = küçük mücenneb (5), K = büyük mücenneb (8), T = tanini (9), A = augmented second (12–13 commas).
- Sound: real kanun recordings, retuned to comma precision for each pitch. With the synthesis option, each course is generated as three slightly detuned strings.
- Mandals: per-pitch tuning is the default; any course can also be tuned separately. Makam presets are per pitch.
- Known limitations: pitch names are referenced to Rast (G); makam presets are awaiting expert review.
Frequently asked questions about the Kanun
How many strings does a kanun have?
The Turkish kanun usually has 26 courses, each with three strings tuned to the same pitch, for a total of 78 strings. This virtual kanun also has 26 courses and ranges from A2 to E6.
How do the mandals work?
As the small metal mandals at the left end of each course are raised and lowered, the vibrating length of the string changes and the pitch gets higher or lower in small steps. On most kanuns a semitone is divided into six mandals; one mandal is about 17 cents, slightly smaller than the theoretical comma (about 22.6 cents). On this virtual kanun the mandals work comma by comma according to Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek theory; you can set them per pitch (in all octaves) or separately for a single course.
How do I play the virtual kanun?
Sweep the strings on the right side with your finger or mouse, or tap them one by one. Tapping the labels on the left selects a course. On a keyboard, the keys A S D F G H J K play the scale of the selected makam.
What changes when I choose a makam?
The mandals set themselves for the in-between pitches the chosen makam requires; the tonic and dominant are marked in color on the strings. You can listen to the makam's scale in the scale panel.
Is the sound I hear a real kanun?
Yes. The sounds were recorded note by note from a real kanun and are tuned with comma precision to the pitch you choose. If you like, you can switch to generated sound with the “Synthesis” option.
Is playing kanun online free? Do I need to download anything?
It is free and needs no sign-up; the kanun opens right in your browser, with no program to download. If you like, you can add the site to your phone or computer as an app and open it with one tap.
Can I play the kanun on a phone or tablet?
Yes. On a touch screen you can sweep across the strings with your finger or pluck them one by one; turn the phone sideways or go full screen and the kanun gets bigger. If you hear no sound on an iPhone, turn off silent mode.
What notes is the kanun tuned to?
On this virtual kanun the 26 courses run in natural pitches from low A (A2) to high E (E6), and the Rast pitch is G. As the makam changes, pitches such as B, E and F are adjusted with the mandals (on this virtual kanun comma by comma according to Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek theory); kanun players, too, first tune the main pitches and then raise or lower the mandals for each makam.
How do I play makam Hicaz on the kanun?
Hicaz rests on the Dügâh (A) pitch. B is lowered by 4 commas and C is raised by 4 commas, so the augmented second of the Hicaz tetrachord sounds between A and D. Choose Hicaz in the makam selector and the mandals set themselves; you can learn its scale and melodic path on the makam Hicaz page.
Where should I start learning the kanun?
First get the makam scales into your ear: the basic lessons in the learning path explain the comma, pitch and interval, followed by first makams such as Rast, Uşşak and Hicaz. You can listen to pieces from the sheet music archive in kanun sound, slow the tempo down and play along. For yüksük (finger picks), plectrum and mandal technique on a real kanun, lessons with a teacher are recommended.
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
- Wikipedia
- ozanyarman.com